Ammonia-saturator apparatus



Dec. 27, 1927.

- J. BECKER AMMONIA SATURATOR APPARATUS 3 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed Feb. 11. 1921 J. BECKER AMMONIA SATURATOR APPARATUS 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb till latented Dem 27, 1927,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Jtlfillfillil llllilfll'llllllt O'F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO THE KOPPERS COM- EllEllIlRGl'l-l, ElYIfVllhl C(llhiBOB-ATIDbT OF PENNSYLVANIA.

AMMONIA-SATURATCIR AI PPARA'IT'U'S.

Application filed February 11, 1921. Serial No. 444,102.

gases according to the ammonia recovery process describeijl. and claimed in my Letters lhitcnt tor ammonia and tar recovery procoss, ho, htll'ofitlll, dated .ilqiril. l9, llllll.

The invention has :tor an essential object to provide an cl'l'icient aiuruiniia saturator up paratus which operates as a disintegrator saturator to Whirl and to disintegrate the ammonia absorbing acid and gas into an intimate admixture :troin which iin an'unoniui'n salt is directly precipitated, whereby the absorption oi? ammonia from the gas and precipitation of the annnonium salt takes place substantially concurrently in the same apparatiiis and the direct precipitation of the ammonium salt in the acid Wash is attained. llecausc ot the diiiiintegrating and mixing action imparted to the absorbing acid and gas and the resultant direct precipitation oi the ammonium salt, the invention eliminates the necessity for maintaining back pressure on the gas such as would be, unavoidable in cases Where the gas is iiorced tl'u'ough a column of acid and thus renders the ammonia recovery substantially independent of and 'unall'ccl'cd by pressure variations of the gas. Consequently, the invention is oi great importance in the treatment oil gases of large volume, such as producer gas, which. gases are subject to considerable variations in pressure and, because of their volume, are diliicult to maintain at the proper baclr pressure, Without resorting to expensive co1nprissor apparatus. The invention thus greatly siinplilics the rt-zcoverv ol auuuonia lroiu ammonia charged gases-i and promotes economy oi? such anunonia recm'ery regardless of the volume oil gases to be treated, a lid also simplifies the apparatus necessary to such annnonia recovery, tor example, by the elimination or separate acid washer apparatus and saturators.

in addition to the general. objects recited above, the invention has for other objects such other improvements and advantages in construction and operation as are :tound to vtain in the structures and devices hereindescribed or claimed,

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part o'l. this specification and showing, for purposes of exeinpliiication, a preferred form and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but Without limiting the claimed invention to such il lustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is an elevational view ol a portion of a lay-product recovery apparatus which 8l'i'il3(l(ll05 in its construction. ammonia satin'ator apparatus constructed in accord ance with the present invention;

Fig. 23 a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the ainnrionia saturator apparatus taken in a plane indicated by the line 8-3 oi Fig. i; and

Fi 41; is another vertical sectional elevation oi the ammonia saturator apparatus taken in a plane indicated by the line l-4; of: Fig. 8.

The same characters ot reference des1gnote the same parts tlnoughout the several views of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the invention is incorporated in a by-prmluct recovery apparatus for the absmption oil ammonia from ammonia charged gases and direct precipitation of ammonia in the term oft an ammonia salt, such as is described and claimed in my Letters Patent No. 1,375,483, hereinabove mentioned, and the invention is illustrated in connection with other apparatus :tor handling the precipitated an'unonia salt and for recovering from such precipitated salt the excess absorbing-acid. For convenience, the present lcsc-i-iptio'i1. will he confined to the present illustrated embodiment of the invention in such byproduct recover-y apparatus; the novel features and improvements made by the invention are SllSClllJtilJlB 0t other applications, for example in other by-product recovery apparatus and in the treatment of any auuu-ouia charged gas to effect recovery of the ammonia; hence, the scope of the in vent-ion is not confined to the specilic use and specific embodiment herein described. as an illustrative example.

Referring to the drawings: there are illus trated views of a portion of by-product apparatus having features above specified said byproduct apparatus embodies in its con.

ratus.

The ammonia saturator apparatus comprises a suitable tank 11, in the present 1nstance substantially rectangular in form, the side and end walls 12, 12 and 13, 13 of which are constructed of appro 'iriate metal panelling as shown. Mounted within the tank 11 is a rotor l-ildisposed with its axls of rotation parallel to the end walls 12 of the tank. The shaft 15 of the rotor extends through the opposite side walls 12, 12 of the tank and is supported on the opposite sides of the tank bybearings 16, 17 mounted at the tops of suitable supporting pedestals 18 and 19. An electric motor 20 is provided for driving the shaft 15 and its rotor 14, and for this purpose, the electric motor is operatively connected with the shaft 15 by means of suitable belt and pulley mechanism, designated generally by the reference character 21,-in Fig.

Secured respectively to the opposite side walls 12, 12 of the tank are fixed disintegrater members or devices 22. These fixed disintcgrator members are, according to the present embodiment of the invention, in the form of rods arranged in a plurality of spaced curvilinear series and projecting inwardly into the tank oppositely from the side walls to which these rods are secured, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Each side wall 12 has secured thereto two concentric circular series of such disintegrator rods 22,

one series of which is spaced from the other series for purposes which will be hereinafter explained. That is to-say, the series of dis integrator members that are attached to each I side wall '12 of the tank are arranged in two concentric circular paths one circular series beingof greater diameter than the other. The outer ends of each series of disintegrator members are secured to bracing rings 23, as

' shown. 1

1 Surrounding the rotorv ll and secured thereto, preferably at the central portion of therotor, is a rotor disk 2%. The rotor disk Qstcarries the movable disintegrator members which operate co'njointly with the fixed disintegrator members 22 hereinabove described. As shown, the movable disintegrator members carried by the rotor disk 24 are constituted of rods25 secured in a plurality of curvilinear.series to the rotor disk and preferably arranged in concentric circular paths of different diameters measured from the axis of rotation of the rotor; Asshown in Fig. 4 the movable disintegrator members 25 of. the rotor extend from opposite faces of the rotor disk 24: and are made considerably longer than the lixed disintcgrator members 22, so that the movable series of disintegrator members alternate with and lap the aforesaid tixcd series of disintegrator members for substantially the entire length of the latter. The opposite ends of each series of movable disintcgrator members carried by the rotor 14 are braced by rings 26 secured thereto in any suitable manner.

lVith the above construction, there is pro vided within the tank or chamber 11 movable and fixed disintcg rator means which operate conjointly to disint grate the am monia absorbingacid and ammonia charged gas introduced into said tank, into an intimate admixture from which an ammonium salt is directly precipitated, absorption of ammonia and precipitation of the ammonia.

inn Stilt taking place substantially concurrently in the same chamber. The ammonia charged gas, such as producer gas, is introduced into the zone or space immediately surrounding the axis ot rotation ot the rotor through gas inlet means 27 located on opposite sides of the tank 11 and respectively communicating with the interior of the tank through inlets 28 in the side walls [2 of the latter. The ammon a charged gas cutering' the tank from opposite sides of the central rotor disk Ell is whirled by centrifugal force into the zone through which the movable disintcgrator members are moving rapidly past the .lixed disintegrator members, and in said zone the gas is whirled and disintegrated into an intimate admixture with a supply of an ammonia al'isorbingacid, such as sulphuric acid, introduced into the tank from the top of the latter. The gas and acid are thus broken up into minute particles which are thoroughly mixed together, enabling the acid to eli'eet a rapid absorption of the ammonia from the ammonia charged gas and providing a direct precipitation in the tank of an ammonium salt, such as ammonium sulphate, the heat residuum in the gas being utilized to effect the precipitation of; the ammonium salt. The ammonia absorbing acid is introduced into the top of the tank It from a fresh acid supply line 25) which leads to a manitold 30 that is connected with l'ccdcr pipes 31. The feeder pipes ill are rcspcctivcly formed with perforations to spray the acid from the top of the tank ll downwardly into the disintegration and mixing zonc.

After the gas has given up its ammonia, it discharges out of the top of the tank into a discharge main 33 which carries the gas to an acid separator 3.4. for removing any excess acid from the gas. From the acid liHl till

moi-n59 8'? into a sump 88 located beneath and communicating with the bottom of the tank 11.

shown in Fig. l the sump 38 is provided with an inclined bottom 39 which carries the precipitated an'unoniun'i salt and the excess acid to a salt ejector which projects into the sump. The salt ejector ot the usual typo provided with a compressed air line ll for torciug the excess acid and salt upwardly through the ejector pipe 42. From the ejector pipe 42 the salt and excess acid discharges into a feed pipe 43 and the latter discharges the mixture oi? salt and excess acid on to a drain table i i of the usual type for (training oil the excess acid which is returned to the manifold by means of a return acid line l5. The drain table det is provided. with a pair of spouts 46 which respectively lead to centri'li'ugal driers 1-7. Any other acid separated. in the driers 4t? passes through return pipes all to an acid well all) which also receives the drainage from the lower end of the drain table 4, such drainage discharging into the well tt) through a discharge pipe 50. From the acid well l9 the drainage passes through a pipe 51 back to the sump 238 from which the drainage is recirculated through the systcin and lmrther available acid separated out and returned to the supply manifold 30.

. As shown in Fig. 2, there is preferably provided a pair of salt ojcctors for each sump. The salt ejeetors individually discharge into separate drain tables and the four spouts oi. the two drain tables teed three centrifugal driers. The construction. and arrangement of the salt ejector, acid drainage and drying ap iiaratus is however i1nmaterial to the present invention and is illustrated and described herein only for the purpose of showing one way of disposing of the anin'ioniuni salt and utilizing the ex cess acid. a

The invention as hereinabove set forth is embodied in a particular form of con struction but may be variously embodied within the scope oi? the claims hereinafter made.

I claim:

1. in. an ammonia saturator apparatus, in

combination: a tank supplied with inlet and outlet means for any ammonia charged gas and also having provision for intrrx'lucing a supply of an ammonia absorbing acid into said tank; fixed disintegrator members projecting inwardly from opposite walls of said tank and arranged in a plurality of spaced curvilinear series; a rotor mounted within the tank and also provided with a plurality of disintegrator members arranged in spaced curvilinear series the last named movable series of disintegrator members alternating with and lapping the aforesaid scries of tired disintegrator members and operating conjointly therewith to whirl and to disintegrate the introduced acid and into an intimate admixture, from which an ammonium salt directly areehpitatod in the tank; and means for ejecting the lll'etilpltate from said tank; substantially as specilied.

2. In an ammonia. saturator apparatus in. con'ibinationz a tank supplied withv inlet and outlet means for an ammonia charged gas and also having provision for introducing a supply oi an ammonia absorbing acid into said tank; .iixed disintcgrator n'unnbers projecting inwardly from opposite walls o'li sai d tank and arranged in a plurality of spaced curvilinear series; and a rotor mounted with in the tank and also provided with a plurah ity of disintegrator members arranged in spaced. curvilinear.- series, the last named movable series oi disintegrator n'ienibers al.- ternating with and lapping the :iiiloresaid series of tired disintegrator members and op erating conjointly therewith to whirl and to disintegrate the introduced acid and gas into .an intimate admixture from which an ammonium salt is directly precipitated in the tank; suliistai'itially as specified.

3. In an ammonia saturator apparatus in combination a tank provided with inlet and outlet means for an anunonia charged gas and also having provision for introducing a supply of an antimonia absorbing acid in the .torm of aspray into said. tank; lined. disintegrating members projecting inwardly from opposite walls oi said tank and arranged in a plurality of spaced curvilinear series; and arotor mounted within the tank and also provided with a plurality of disiutcgrator members arranged in spaced curvilinear se ries, the last named movable series oi disintegrator members alternating with and lap ping the aforesaid fixed series of disintegrator members and operating conjointly therewith to whirl and to disintegrate the introduced acid and gas into an intimate admixture trom which an. ammonium salt is directly precipitated in the tank substantially as specified.

l. In an an'ui'ionia satura tor apparatus, in combination: a tank provided with inlet and outlet means For an ammonia chaigod gas and also having [JI'OVlSlUi]. for introducing a supply of ai'nl'nonia absorbing acid. into said tank; fixed disintegraltu' members project ing inwardly from opposite walls of said tank; and a rotor movable within the tank and also provided with a plurality of diam-- tegrator members, the last named movable disintegrator members operating conjointly with the aforesaid fixed disintegrator members to whirl and to disintegrate the introduoed acid. and gas into an intimate admin:-

1 ill] ture, from which an ammonium salt is directly precipitated in the tank; substantially as specified.

acid to discharge by gravity into the disintegrating zone; substantially as specified.

6. In an ammonia saturator apparatus, in combination: a chamber; means for introducing an ammonia charged gas and an ammonia absorbing acid and movable and fixed disintegrator and mixing means in said chamber operable conjointly to disintegrate the acid and gas into an intimate admixture from which an ammonium salt is directly precipitated in said chamber; substantially as specified.

7 In an ammonia saturator apparatus, in combination: a chamber; means for concurrently introducing ammonia charged gas and an ammonia absorbing acid, and means in said chamber for disintegrating the acid and gas into anintimate admixture from which an ammonium salt is directly precipitated in said chamber; substantially as specified.

8. In an ammonia saturat-or apparatus. in combination: a chamber; means for introducing ammoniacharged gas and an ammonia absorbing acid, and self-contained means in said chamber for producing a whirling mixture of the acid and gas to eil'eet absorption of ammonia from the gas and from which an ammonium salt is directly precipitated in said chamber; substantially as specified.

9. In an ammonia saturator apparatus. in combination: a chamber; means for continuously introducing ammonia clmrged gas and an an'nnonia absorbing acid. and jointly operating movable and fixed mixing means in said chamber for etlecting a whirling mixture of the acid and gas to absorb the ammonia from the gas and from which whirling mixture an ammonium salt is directly precipitated in said chamber; subsclantially as specified.

10. In a gas saturator apparatus in combination: a chamber: means for til tt'tlltlj concurrent lllll'tltllltftlOll therein ot a gas containing impurities and of a medium adapted to rcact upon said impurities to produce a. solid compound; and disintegrate]: means for disintegrating and commingling said impure gas and said medium to ell'ect formation of said compound andv its precipi tation as formed; substantially as specified.

11. In a gas saturator apparatus in combination: a chamber; means for ell'ecting continuous introduction therein of a gaseous mixture to be separated into its constituents and of a medium adapted to re-act upon a constituent of said mixture to produce a solid compound; and disintegrator lllt'illli; for disintegrating and mixing said gaseous mixture and medium to effect continuous formation and precipitation of said solid compound to thereby eiiect separation of the gaseous mixture into its constituents; substantially as specified.

JOSEPH BECKER. 

